Automatic lavatory appliance



Bee, 29 W25- H. N. JAMES AUTOMATIC LAVATORY APPLIANCE INVENTUR. Lea/Z072 all 77265,

A TTORNEY Patented Dec. 29, 1925.

UNITED STATES HENRY NEWTON JAMES, OF MIAMI, FLORIDA.

AUTOMATIC LAVATORY APPLIANCE.

Application filed October 5, 1925.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY NEWTON JAMES, citizen of the United States, residing at Miami, in the county of Dade and State of Florida, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Lavatory Appliances, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the type of sanitary closets which are used on railroad cars.

It is well known that most railroad cars are provided with toilet rooms and that it is customary to lock such rooms while in stations so as to prevent access of the passengers thereto and the consequent deposition of refuse on the track in front of the station platform, such being not only disagreeable to sight but offensive in other ways and also being injurious to health. Such locking of the doors to the toilets not only requires a considerable amount of work on the part of the brakemen, porters and other train attendants, but also greatly inconveniences the passengers at times.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a sanitary closet for railroad cars of an improved and novel construction which will be so arranged that the refuse will be retained in a suitable receptacle so long as the train remains stationary but which will open the receptacle and permit escape of the refuse after the train gets in motion.

Another object of the invention is to provide a receptacle for refuse from a railroad toilet which will have a novel arrangement of valve controlling the outlet from the receptacle, the valve being controlled by the draft created by the movement of the train.

With the above and other objects in view as will be hereinafter apparent, the invention consists in general of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and specifically claimed.

In the accompanying drawings like characters of reference indicate like parts in the several views, and:

Figure I is a side elevation, partly in section of the invention as applied beneath the floor of a railroad car.

Figure II is a section on the line IIII of Figure I.

Figure III is a view looking upwards from the line III-III of Figure I.

Serial No. 60,589.

Figure IV is a section on the line IV-IV of Figure I.

In the embodiment of the invention herein disclosed there is shown a portion 10 of the floor of a car. This portion is taken as located just below the car closet (not shown) and the outlet pipe from the closet is indicated at 11. On the lower end of this outlet pipe is a frusto-conical receptacle 12 below which and closing the lower end thereof is a plate 13 carried by the straps 14. This plate has an opening 15 disposed in registry with the bottom of the receptacle and between the plate and receptacle is located a gate valve 16 pivoted at 17 and having an arm 18 connected thereto. This arm is connected by a universal joint 19 with a link 20 having a slot 21 through which passes a pin 22 fixed in the lower edge of a vane 23 having oppositely directed flanges 24, this vane being suspended beneath the car bottom 10 by hangers 25.

So long as the car remains still the vane remains perpendicular and the linkage is such that this holds the valve closed. When, however, the train moves the wind blows against the vane and opens the valve. Consequently until the train moves the receptacle remains closed and so long as the train is at a station no refuse can escape from the closet.

There has thus been provided a simple and eflicient device of the kind described and for the purpose specified.

It is obvious that minor changes may be made in the form and construction of the invention without departing from the material spirit thereof. It is not, therefore, desired to confine the invention to the exact form herein shown and described, but it is desired to include all such as properly come within the scope claimed.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, is:

1. A sanitary closet for railroad cars including a receptacle, a valve for opening and closing the bottom of said receptacle, a wind vane swingingly mounted 011 the car transverse the direction of its movement, and an operative connection between said vane and valve.

2. A sanitary closet for railroad cars including a receptacle, a pivotally mounted gate valve positioned to swin across the lower end of the receptacle to close the same and to swing oppositely to open the same, a

wind vane swingingly mounted on the car, and an operative connection between the vane and valve.

3. In a sanitary closet for railroad cars, a receptacle having an open bottom, a gate valve pivoted at one side of said bottom and having a central position wherein said open ing is closed and movable to each side of said position to open said valve, a vane suspended from the car and normally adapted to hang vertically, said vane extending transversely of the car to swing in one direc tion and the other in accordance with the movement of the car on its track in one direction and the other, and an operative connection between said vane and valve.

4. In a sanitary closet for railroad cars, a receptacle having an open bottom, a plate fixed below said bottom and having an opening registering with the opening in said bottom, a gate valve filling the space between the bottom and plate and having an opening movable into and out of registry with the openings in the bottom and plate, a vane carried by the car and mounted for swinging movement thereon, and an operative connection between said vane and valve.

5. In a sanitary closet for railroad cars, a receptacle having an open bottom, a plate fixed below said bottom and having an opening registering with the opening in said bottom, a gate valve filling the space between the bottom and plate. and having an opening movable into and out of registry with the openings in the bottom and plate, a vane carried by the car and mounted for swinging movement thereon, and a universally ointed linkage between said vane and valve whereby to operate the valve as the vane is moved under the influence of the movement of the car.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

HENRY NEWTON JAMES. 

